1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a mandrel to aid in the construction of beaded bracelets, ankle bracelets, necklaces, head bands, thigh garters and upper arm bracelets.
2. Background Information
In the jewelry arts, beads are strung on cords comprised of, for example, monofilament, or jewelry wire. An interengaging but releasable cooperating clasp pair is attached and the strand of beads forms a closed loop to become an article of jewelry, such as a necklace or bracelet.
In constructing an item of beaded jewelry, the beading wire is held in one hand and beads are strung onto it with the other hand. When enough beads have been strung, the clasp is attached to the wire thereby forming a closed loop of strung beads. If the finished item does not fit the intended wearer, the item must be taken apart and re-made in a different size. This results in wasted time and wasted materials.
To illustrate, when one makes a bracelet that measures 7″ in length while lying flat linearly, that same bracelet will not fit around a 7″ circumference wrist. This is owing to the fact that the radius of the beads decreases the inside circumference of the finished bracelet when clasped around the wrist. The beading wire or thread, being threaded through the holes of the beads, is not snug against the wrist, but rather is suspended through the holes of the beads, a distance away from the wrist. This distance is equal to the radius of the beads. So, a bracelet made entirely with half inch diameter beads will increase the bracelet's finished diameter by the radius of the beads, ¼ inch, multiplied by two, thus, ½ inch. As the inside diameter of the loop of beads is decreased, so too is its circumference.
The problem is more troublesome when making many different bracelets with different size beads. The problem of making a piece of beaded jewelry to fit the wearer is also complicated by the fact that beads are available in numerous diameters. Using a printed chart that correlates bead size to finished bracelet size is rendered useless because jewelry is often made with a mix of bead sizes. Without working out mathematical equations to determine how a change in diameter affects the bracelet's circumference, one must have the intended wearer present for repeated fittings. Further, the beaded article of jewelry must be made with sufficient room for comfortable muscle movement. The foregoing holds true for ankle bracelets (anklets), tight necklaces (chokers), arm bands, thigh garters and head bands.
As those familiar with the art of jewelry making will appreciate, working out a mathematical equation is simply too tedious. And the problem is further complicated by the fact that long cylindrical beads will necessitate a longer bracelet whose length is virtually impossible to determine by way of a mathematical equation.
Until now, the only alternative was to have the intended wearer present for repeated fittings or to just guess at the correct size and risk making an error.
With the use of the present invention a person merely has to string some beads, hold the strand of beads around the mandrel of the present invention and determine whether beads need to be added or removed before finishing it off with a clasp.
Some examples of inventions used in sizing finished and unfinished jewelry for which patents have been granted include the following.
Round, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,513, describes a ring and finger sizer. The device consists of a flat plastic device with numerous holes through which a person will place his or her finger to determine the ring size. One portion of the device is a flat triangular shape over which a person will slip his or her ring to determine the size of the ring.
C. A. Ford designed a tape measure to determine the appropriate ring size for a finger in patent D60,612.
Measuring devices to aid in clothing design and tailoring have been patented.
Fullalove, in U.S. Pat. No. D467,619S and D444,818 describes a dress maker's form.
Arthur designed a dress maker's form shown in U.S. Pat. No. D277,397. Farquharson also designed a dress form in U.S. Pat. No. 1,221,522.
Nabarro in U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,460 describes a tape measure device which allows a person to measure his or her torso without the necessity of holding the tape measure. It allows one to keep one's hands free to make necessary adjustments to a garment while the tape measure is in place.
Devices available to jewelers for measuring finished items of jewelry to determine their size include the following.
Shor International sells a “Bracelet and Ring Gauge” consisting of a triangular piece of flat metal with size markings on it for use in measuring flat stock for proper sizing of ring and bracelet shanks. ShorInternational.com/RingSizer.htm.
“Ring Size Sticks” are also sold by Shor International. These ring mandrels are made of plastic or metal and are used in determining the size of a finished ring. A jeweler often needs to determine the size of a customer's ring in order to help the customer purchase another ring of the same size. ShorInternational.com/RingSizer.htm.
Devices available to jewelers for measuring the human body to find appropriate jewelry size include the following.
Shor International sells a bracelet gauge which consists of a metal version of a tape measure. On one end of the tape measure is a pin which mates with holes along the circumference of the tape measure. It is used to measure a person's wrist to determine bracelet size. ShorInternational.com/RingSizer.htm. Shor International Corporation, 20 Parkway West, Mt. Vernon, N.Y. 10552.
Shor International also sells finger gauges which consist of a series of metal rings attached to a larger ring. A person puts his or her finger in several of the rings to determine the appropriate ring size. ShorInternational.com/RingSizer.htm.
Widget Supply sells a bangle bracelet sizer similar to Shor International's finger gauges. It consists of a series of metal rings representing bracelet sizes. A person slips his or her hand through the ring to find the appropriate bangle bracelet size. http://www.widgetsupply.com/miva/merchant.mvc?page=WS/PROD/jeweler-tool-other/SCA 3-JT132BS, Widget Supply, P.O. Box 3282, Albany, Oreg. 97321
Devices available to jewelers that act as a support for jewelry during its manufacture include the following:
In the metal smithing art, mandrels have long been used for making bangle bracelets of precious metal. Such mandrels are typically made of a heavy material such as steel. Their purpose is to support silver, gold, copper or brass material as it is hammered into shape around the mandrel. Thus, a bracelet can be formed into a “C” shape and slipped onto the wrist. Also, the metal can be hammered into a closed circle or doughnut shape forming a bangle bracelet that can slide over the hand and onto the wrist. Similar mandrels are used for making bracelets of blown glass. Such mandrels can be seen in Shor International's on line catalog at http://shorinternational.com/MandrelRingBracelet.htm
Existing mandrels can be found only in sizes for bracelets but not for anklets. This is likely owing to the fact that a solid metal bracelet would be uncomfortable to wear considering the movement of the ankle muscles and tendons.
Some of these metal bracelet mandrels are cone shaped and some are in the shape of a terraced cone. The terraced cones typically are sectioned into 3 or 4 wrist sizes for the purpose of making 3 or 4 different sized bangle style metal bracelets.
Existing bracelet mandrels are made of metal suitable for hammering or applying heat, and are simply too clumsy and heavy for a beading artist's purpose. http://shorinternational.com/MandrelRingBracelet.htm
Shor International also sells metal ring mandrels for use in metal smithing. The purpose of such a mandrel is to aid in making a ring of a specified size for the wearer. The ring mandrel serves as a support for the precious metal being formed into a ring. It also serves as a measuring device for the finished ring. http://shorinternational.com/Mandrel RingBracelet.htm
Rings mandrels have markings showing the various ring sizes. Ring sizes are not measured in either inches or centimeters. Rather, these markings refer to a standardized system of ring sizing.
There does not exist a mandrel suitable for beaded articles of jewelry. Making a beaded article of jewelry is different from metal finger ring and metal bracelet manufacture in that a beaded article of jewelry is made on a thread, cord or beading wire. A finger ring is comprised of a solid piece of metal. The finger ring must be hammered to size. A beaded article of jewelry on the other hand is made on a stringing material that is held in the hands or lies on a work surface. Unlike a finger ring or metal bracelet, a beaded article of jewelry is not constructed around a mandrel since hammering is not needed. The problem faced by the jewelry designer is determining the finished circumference of a product that is constructed in a linear fashion.
Metal bracelet mandrels only accommodate one to three different sizes and have very few markings indicating size. This is owing to the fact that a metal bracelet only needs to be made in a few sizes; small, medium and large. The wearer of a metal bracelet can bend the bracelet to fit the wrist. So, making a particular style of metal bracelet in infinite sizes is not necessary.
Beaded bracelets on the other hand are not so easily adjusted. The beaded bracelet must be made in the right size so that it will comfortably fit on the wearer's wrist. Some people like a bracelet to fit snugly while others prefer it to slide down onto the hand a bit. So, while one person with a seven inch wrist will be comfortable with a bracelet that fits a 7.5 inch circumference, another person would prefer it to fit an 8 inch circumference. Similarly, a person with a 7.25 inch wrist will have different needs entirely.
It is fashionable for children as young as four to wear bracelets. Their wrists typically measure about 4 inches to 5 inches in circumference. Pre-teens have a normal wrist measurement of about 6 inches and adults usually measure between 6.5 and 7 inches. It is not at all unusual for an adult to have an 8 or 9 inch wrist. Beaded ankle bracelets or “anklets” are also popular. Adult ankles normally measure about 9 inches but can be as large as 14 or 15 inches. The bracelet mandrels in the prior art do not accommodate this range of sizes.
Also in the prior art are written charts which can be made showing the number of beads needed to make a particular size bracelet. For example, such a chart could show that one would need 444 mm beads to make a 7 inch long strand. The difficulty with such a chart is that any given bracelet, anklet or necklace may typically be made with beads of several different sizes. Also, if one uses tube shaped beads, the finished circumference of the bracelet will be affected by not only the diameter of the bead, but also by the length of the bead owing to the fact that long straight beads are surrounding a round object such as a wrist.
Working out a mathematical equation using the “Pi R squared” formula can be complicated and time consuming and beyond the skill and patience of many bead artists. Because most beads are made in other countries their sizes are always designated by the metric system. Factoring in the conversion from metric to English only adds another level of difficulty.
Heretofore, the jewelry artisan had to guess at the length of a bracelet or anklet and repeatedly try it on the intended wearer's wrist or ankle. This resulted in frequent mistakes wherein a bracelet was either too small or too large for the intended wearer. This in turn resulted in a waste of beading materials and time. The problem is amplified when the designer is making jewelry professionally and in high volume. The problem is even greater when one is doing business over the internet and the customer must mail the bracelet back to the designer to be remade. Regardless of one's level of experience in jewelry making, the sizing problem remains because bracelets can be made in an infinite variety of sizes using an infinite variety of shapes and sizes of beads.
Metal smithing mandrels serve as a support for metal. Ring sizers serve to determine the size of a piece of jewelry that a person brings to a jeweler to check its size. Other devices in the prior art act as a tape measure to measure various parts of the human body. But none of the devices available serve as a body form to help the designer analyze the circumference of beaded jewelry and facilitate the making of adjustments.
Unlike bracelet mandrels used by metal smiths, the beaded jewelry mandrel of the present invention is light weight, accommodates a broad range of sizes and in the preferred embodiment measurement markings are made at one quarter of an inch intervals. Metal mandrels used by metal smiths have only 3 different sizes of bracelets inscribed on them. As mentioned above, metal bracelets are bendable and there is not the same necessity for a broader range of sizes. Metal mandrels are utterly useless to the beaded jewelry designer. Because metal bracelets can be made in different widths, the working surface area for each bracelet size must be greater, typically 2 inches or more. So, in order to keep the metal mandrel small enough to place on a metal smith's workbench, the mandrel can only accommodate a few sizes. The working area on the beaded jewelry mandrel of the present invention is relatively small since only a small surface area of the beaded bracelet makes contact with the mandrel. Therefore, the various size markings can be close together.
While existing mandrels for metal and glass work accommodate only 3 or 4 sizes of jewelry, the mandrel of the present invention in its preferred embodiment will accommodate every wrist and ankle size from children's sizes to adult sizes.
Accordingly, there is a need in the jewelry making art for a relatively simple, low cost apparatus that is useful for determining the finished length of a beaded article of jewelry without the intended wearer being present for repeated fittings. The need likewise exists for a method of making not only bracelets, but also anklets, children's bracelets and chokers. Because the beaded jewelry craft is by its nature, very portable, the apparatus should be light weight and compact for easy transportation.